She couldn’t remember who said it, perhaps it was someone wise or important, but it seemed true:  the kitchen is the soul of a home. Here she fed her babies, here she labored to create celebrations and console broken hearts.  Here she listened to stories of victory, tales of defeat, and wiped away tears from horrors too great and too numerous for most people to ever understand.

With the back of her hand, Aurora pushed away a bit of flour from her brow in the same way her mother used to every Sunday, in just the same way she used to wipe away the blood and sweat from the labors of her youth.  Now, nearly as old as her mother in the hour of her death, she wiped more flour than viscera these days. Listening to a house that was slowly filling with people for their weekly ritual, she found her mind wandering to people whose chairs would remain empty today.  

Bella Byrne had spent many long hours in offices and on the streets, enforcing her will with lead and steel so that one day her daughter would labor more days in a kitchen than on the streets.  Aurora Mastrosimone had done the same for her children, and as every room filled with one more little smile, she knew that her mother’s most heartfelt wish for a real family had come to pass.  

Laughter, tears, even the fights - Bella had prayed to God for one baby to make a family of her own with the man who she loved more than life.  For her faithfulness, she had gotten two, such is God’s greatness - to bestow upon those who are good more bounty than they ask for and certainly more than they deserve.  And from those two children, that small little family, came nearly a dozen children and more if you counted the people they pulled into their table. The lovers, the future spouses, cousins, and the people who were as dear as blood.  

It was a notion that nearly defied any logic except for the one Billy clung to, a notion that she loved more dearly with each passing day:  Some loves were so great, so true, so deep that death itself could not stop them… and as such, were blessed by God himself.  

While Bella and Gavin had not lived to see this house full of people, had not lived to see all their children would build and do in their time on the earth, she liked to think that they knew about the harvest reaped from their joy and suffering.  She liked to think that it made everything, even their brutal deaths, ‘still worth it.’  That even if they had known the impossible journey and ending of their own stories from the very beginning, that they wouldn’t have changed a single word.

Sage put a hand on Aurora’s arm and caused her to take a breath.  Blinking away the memories of the past, she turned her head to look at the eleven year old girl who was smiling up at her.  “How’s this?”

Dipping a finger in the pudding, Aurora scooped up a bit of chocolate and tasted it.  She nodded, a smile spreading across her face to match Sage’s. “This is very good. Have you tried it?”

Sage shook her head.  

Aurora motioned for the girl to do the same as she had done.  As soon as the rich milk chocolate crossed the girl’s tongue she was giggling.  “It’s delicious!”

“Of course.  Didn’t I tell you that you could do it?”

Sage nodded.

“I think these are about ready for the oven.”  Cerise came over with a muffin tray full of what would be dinner rolls.  

“Well, they look about right.”  Aurora said quickly cautioning Indigo, “Don’t eat raw bread from the bowl.  It’s not like the pudding, it can make you sick.”

Indigo pulled her hand back.  

“We’ll just have to trust that you guys followed all the steps on the recipe correctly.  Go ahead now, put them in the oven and remember to watch that clock. We don’t want them to burn.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”  Azure said pulling open the oven for Cerise.

Aurora looked at the five girls in the kitchen and marveled.  One was of her blood and bones, Isabella. She fit seamlessly with the other four, as if she’d always been a part of them, lost sisters that she’d never known.  And the other four? Well, they were a contradiction. She had expected them to be like herself at their ages, and in some ways they were. They had her skill set, and yet, they were far more obedient than she ever hoped to be.  They longed to please her and fit in. They worked hard and while there were rough edges to be sure, they fit here as if they had always been.

The girls wrapped up the small bits of the meal she’d assigned to each of them, prattling on about school nonsense and boys, something Aurora pretended not to notice.  And when they whispered thoughts of mischief, well, she ignored that too. In their time they would all make mistakes and they would learn and grow from them and she and Billy would be there to pick them up and fix things for as long as God allowed it.  And, one day, when she was here no more perhaps they would reflect on times in the kitchen fondly.

May God make it so.

Billy always got louder as his children began arriving on Sundays, his voice like a soft summer thunder rumbling through the walls.  His laughter, that above all sounds in the world, made her smile.

“Alright girls,”  Aurora said washing her hands, “I think we’ve got this about wrapped up.  Send Gavin and Jack in and please check to see if Tara, Oriana and Brigitte have arrived.”

Oriana was pacing in her basement room at the Armament Emporium. The Italian woman kept checking her nails, and her bootheels clicked against the floor as she walked back and forth. She was wearing her usual attire: a white blouse and black pants. Her long coat was on her bed, and she still wore her gunbelt. Tara had noticed, however, that Ori seemed to be carrying fewer weapons these days. There wasn’t a knife between her shoulder blades, at least. Was she feeling safer?

“How many guns can I wear to dinner?” asked Ori. “Just the ankle? Am I not supposed to wear the-” sighing, she unbuckled her belt with the Beretta and knife. 

Tara smiled at Oriana through the reflection in the mirror.  She was putting her hair up into a ponytail. 

“You wear what you feel comfortable in.  I think the only worry will be once Victoria starts to crawl.  Then we might limit the amount of weapons strapped at baby height for the good of everyone.”

Oriana started to put her belt back on. “What do you think of the place, by the way?”

“I think my girlfriend-” Oriana froze mid-motion, then recovered and adjusted her belt.  Tara seemed to notice but did not change her course in the conversation, “-owning a weapons emporium limits my good Christmas gift ideas, but I do like it.  I should have said so earlier. It suits your expertise and interests and well, it’s useful. Plus, it’s another place I can be alone with you so that’s a huge plus.”

“Better than the place above the dive bar, at least. No rats.” Oriana’s room at the back of the emporium felt like a windowless castle. Underground, they were surrounded by concrete. The thick carpets and luxury items that decorated the small room gave it the feel of a pirate captain’s cabin: a place of comfort amidst a life of turmoil. The bed took up a third of the room, but the rest of the decor seemed haphazard and random.

“The better thing for me to say is, how are YOU liking it?  I mean, yeah, no rats is good but that’s a low bar to hit don’t you think?  I mean, it seems like you’re settling in and trying new things.” She looked around at the mix-matched decor.  “It takes time to find your footing, but you seem to be handling it well enough.”

“I’m not really used to having space of my own.”

“If you’re lonely, I could stay over more.”  She gave Ori a wink.

“I try to keep busy. Cat’s busy a lot. I try to help with the crew, but they’re mostly veterans who take care of themselves. So I dunno, I just try to find my own projects.” She paused. “But you’re welcome anytime.” She paused, then nodded.

“Well, thank you for the hospitality.”  She made a mock bow, graciously.   

Tara continued, “My understanding is that it can be that way in many families.  You know, people working on their own projects, all in the same place but maybe not on the same page.  If that makes any sense said that way? I just… well, don’t take it personally that it doesn’t have the same team feel.  It’s not you. It’s just, different. You’ll figure it out in time. And, if you don’t, you’ll make a gang or something. A team of your own.  I mean, that could be a thing if you wanted. Plenty of Bosses have their own teams of people who do shit for and with them.”

“I kind of like where I’m at, I think. I’d take a bullet for Cat, and I get to help her with things. I’m also free enough to spend lots of time with you, Brigitte… everyone. I’ve just got to figure out what the hell I’m doing. For now, I’ll just keep finding missions.”

At the mention of her sister’s name, Tara became very quiet and a little sheepish.  Digging into her purse she pulled out some gloss for her lips and turned away from Oriana.  “I think it’s possible dinner might be a bit tense today.”

“Why?”

Tara sighed and put the gloss away.  “My father cornered me yesterday… about Brigitte, Rosalyn, and the gambling.”

“Fantastic. What’s the deal with this Rosalyn, anyways?”

“The guy who runs that fight club Brigitte goes to?  Well, she’s his cousin. She’s a rather pricey call girl.  Brigitte made friends with her and then brought her to meet me thinking I could work out some arrangement with her for talent at my business when I finally get to that stage of things.”

“I meant to ask you about all that. So what’s the plan? House of Pleasure, but in New York?”

“Some differences perhaps, but the spirit remains about the same.  A place where folks can come, relax, indulge and ideally do so without fear or judgement.  Focus on positive stuff, all the crap stays out. I’ve got some ideas, but I mean, execution of things is a long way off.  We’ve made the purchase of the land but there’s a long way to go before a building is standing on it, let alone ready to be filled with people.”

“I’m assuming Bacchus gave you his blessing for this. He can be… touchy.”

“Well, I wasn’t sure I needed his permission so much as I needed to not steal directly from the creator.  Creating an hommage, my own temple, I can’t see where that would be offensive. I wouldn’t fashion myself Bacchus or anything...”

“It wouldn’t be offensive to you, perhaps. But as good as you looked in that bed last night… well, you’re still mortal. I’d write him a letter- ask for his blessing. If he says no, you lose nothing. But he’s sensitive about some things, and you know that he appreciates deference. He can be a powerful ally for you, not that we’re planning on going back to Italy anytime soon. And he has more money than God. Just sayin’. I’d at least write a letter. Although you could talk me into a weekend visit, if you wanted. No murder.” She paused. “Probably.”

She smiled.  “You really would go back with me to pitch it to him?” 

“Why wouldn’t I? I told you, Bacchus was always good to us. I wouldn’t call him a friend, but I’ve known him for a long time, and he can be generous. When the team…” Oriana paused, perhaps realizing that the other dozen girls were all dead before turning 23- and she had killed almost half of them. 

Tara stood up from her chair the moment Oriana hesitated.

“I’m fine. Just remembered something. But when we were there, and we were there regularly for a few years, he could have made things bad for us. It could have been hell, really. But Bacchus made sure that we legitimately enjoyed ourselves there- we looked forward to it. It was just about the only vacation I ever had. And…” her eyes flashed at Tara in the mirror with an amused, wicked look.. “Well, I picked up quite a few talents there. You’ve experienced some of them.”

Tara’s eyes cast down and she blushed in spite of herself.  

“Alright, well, I’m glad that it’s not off the table.  I know what you’d said about him before, but I wasn’t going to bring up a trip back because I thought maybe you needed some time and space between you and the past.  It would have been understandable. For me that place represents something … very special. It always will. That man, as strange as he is, also represents something I hope to find in myself one day.  I know how that probably sounds, but…” she shook her head. “It’s hard to explain.”

“He’s the freest person I know. He just has a very limited scope- and limited interests.”

“There’s nothing wrong with knowing what makes you happy in life and seizing it I think.  We should all be so lucky to know ourselves that well. Sometimes I think that’s the hardest thing in life.  I can read all the books, I can be schooled in just about anything at all, but the one thing I need to know most of all - myself.  Figuring that out has been a strange challenge and some days I wonder if I’m not just going through motions because I don’t have any better ideas.  I have all these damn advantages and support but all the money in the world and the very best family means nothing if I don’t know what the fuck to do with myself.  I think that’s why I enjoyed Nona Bella’s journal the most. I get her. And Grandpa Gavin or rather her idea of him. Assuming what she wrote was true and not just her somewhat skewed version of him.  They traveled and did things and … I don’t know, I guess I envy their adventures. I think about what it might be like to run off to far off places and just see the world sometimes. Like they did. Who knows how many other wonders beyond Bacchus I might find?”

“That doesn’t sound too bad. I’ve been a lot of places in Europe, but I was mostly focused on killing people or stealing information, which tended to be a damper on exploration and fun.”

Tara chuckled, “I don’t know.  Sometimes the best adventures have a few close calls to keep your heart rate up.  Of course, I say that as a reader of adventures… not as someone who has lived many of them.”  

Her smile faded ever so slightly, “Adventures have their downsides too, I suppose.  I won’t deny it. So yeah, less killing, more drinking and fucking. A fight wouldn’t be terrible but I’m absolutely okay with focusing on other things.”

Tara crossed the room to Oriana, “Well, I’m about ready whenever you are.  If Dad did confront Brigitte about the fighting, I’ll talk to her. I’ll make it right.  He’s just worried about her. He’s seeing changes in her, and maybe not all good ones. He’s… being Dad.  I don’t know if she’s gonna be pissed at me or not, but I’ll own what I did and face the music. She and I will be okay.  I just wanted you to know what to expect.”

“I like when you swear, college girl. And yea, that sounds fine. If Brigitte tries to kill you, I’ll stab her somewhere nonlethal.”

“Typically speaking, sweetie, we save stabbings for holiday family dinners.  Sunday ones we try not to skewer each other. But you know, Christmas, or Thanksgiving, by all means.  Nothing says that you love your family dearly quite like nonlethal open wounds.” Tara smirked. “We do love our scars in this household.”

“Alright then. Let’s go see what’s waiting there. I’ll probably hang back, let you deal with the messy, emotional stuff.”

Brigitte sat in the chair with Victoria and smiled at her father.  She wondered whether or not he’d tell anyone today. Maybe everyone.  He’d spent the night at her apartment last night and she’d woke to find everything clean.  The bottles were gone, even the full ones - even Grandpa Gavin’s whiskey. So were her cigarettes.  That hadn’t put her in a good mood, but she endured her father’s interventions.

The one thing she did find that made her smile was a gift box at the foot of her bed when she woke.  It was slightly larger than a hat box and upon opening it she found a pair of well-used boxing gloves with a name written in the inside of the cuff:  “E. Luciano.”

She smiled warmly at the gift.  Eleonora was her mother’s half-sister, her Aunt legally, but she was a legend in the Cosa Nostra.  The woman had won the seven cities boxing tournament back in the day - one of the greatest of Race Street’s accomplishments.  And, perhaps fittingly, she was known in the ring as ‘Angel.’

Her father hadn’t given his blessing for her to keep fighting, in truth he’d said nothing on the matter.  He’d given her french toast as they planned and then the two of them traveled together back home. He then disappeared into his office to play with Victoria and only emerged when smells began coming out of the kitchen.

Since then Brigitte had managed to finally convince her father to let her spend a little time with her sister.  The man was hovering nearby every moment though, as if Brigitte hadn’t carried around almost all her other siblings, Gavin included.  Still, Victoria was tiny. Very tiny and her father was right to worry about her getting a chill. Her limbs did seem to cool so fast if left out in the air even for a little while and so Brigitte was diligent about making sure her swaddle didn’t come loose.

The front door came open and Oriana and Tara entered the foyer.  Brigitte instantly pulled the blanket up over Victoria’s head to prevent the draft from touching her.  Her father was already hollering about the door needing to be shut half a heartbeat after Tara had cleared it.  

Brigitte watched Oriana and Tara, contemplating what she’d say, if anything to her sister.  She was upset last night - furious, but in the light of day and with the revelations her father had made, things were less raw.  Italy had changed a lot between them, and even this hadn’t completely made her sour towards Tara. It never could. Perhaps nothing ever could.

Cerise, Azure, Indigo, and Sage were whispering in a corner; before Rora could say anything to them, they’d dispersed to random seats in the table, splitting up.

Aurora began bringing things out of the kitchen and setting the table.  In the kitchen Gavin and Jack were still working to clean up the mess from all the cooking.  “Billy, we’re just about ready!” She called out to her husband. “You might put Victoria down so we can eat.”

Jack emerged from the kitchen with a scowl on his face, carrying the basket of dinner rolls, Gavin came just behind him with a stony expression carrying the pudding.  Aurora eyed the boys but didn’t say anything as they sat down on opposite sides of the table from each other.  

“Hi mom!”  Tara said coming into the room.  She hadn’t seen Aurora for two days now, work had kept her mother out and Tara was hardly ever home save to sleep these days.  The two hugged and then Aurora turned to smile at Oriana.

“Good to see you, too, Oriana.  I hope you’re hungry. I spent all afternoon making pasta and the girls here helped make side dishes and desserts.  They couldn’t wait for you to taste them.” Aurora gave a wink and smile to Sage, who really was the one who wanted to impress Oriana.

“Did you make sure they aren’t poisoned?” Sage started to protest, but Oriana winked and the girl exhaled, relieved. 

Oriana studied the table and took a seat next to Indigo; Tara sat down between Oriana and Azure. The four girls made eye contact and shared a simultaneous single nod.

“Mom!” said Jack. “They’re doing creepy stuff again!”

“Jack.  Enough. The day you understand what those girls are doing is the day you’re finally able to do some of that crap you keep prattling on about.”

Gavin chuffed and picked up his water.  Jack glared hard at Gavin, a chip clearly on the younger boy’s shoulder already.

“BILLY!”  Aurora called louder and then said softly,  “I swear he never wants to put that baby down.  She’s going to be the worst of all of you. Tara can you please pass the salad?  Let’s just get these plates dished up guys… no point in waiting on your father. We’ll say grace when he manages to emerge.”

Brigitte wandered in and sat down with only mild bit of pain noticeable on her face.  

“Long night?”  Aurora said while dishing her salad up, not looking at Brigitte but seeming to have somehow noticed her eldest lowering herself into chairs carefully.

“I was up a bit with Dad, sorry about keeping him away all night.”  Brigitte said grabbing a dinner roll and buttering it.

Tara glanced at Oriana and then looked back to her sister but said nothing.

“Well, I’m glad you were able to make it to dinner.  Sorry that Addie and Charlie and the kids couldn’t be here though.  I need to get with Addie about a few things. Have you been by to visit with her recently, Brigitte?”

The blonde shook her head.

Jack cast daggers with his eyes at Gavin again.

Isabella came bounding into the room with a bright smile.  “Hey. Oh! Pudding.” She settled into a chair.  

“Did you wash your hands?”  Aurora said passing the salad down the table.

“Yes, Mom.”  Izzy said grabbing a roll.

Tara stood up and began cutting into the lasagna.  “It’s smells great mom.”

“How’s the new business, Oriana?”  Aurora asked looking down the table.  “I heard you opened the doors and are ready for business.  I was thinking about stopping by the week actually.”

“It’s good. Old guy named Leo runs the place for me, but I still make an occasional appearance. I stay there sometimes. Being a concrete basement with a thousand guns has its advantages for defense.” She paused; the four girls were watching her closely, especially Indigo. “Anyways, it’s good.”

Aurora nodded, looking thoughtful.  “Leo.” She said the name as if it felt odd on her tongue a name she hadn’t said in a while.  “Hmm. Sounds like you made a good investment, never hurts to have access to a-”

“Cookie sheet?”

 “...bunch of guns when things take a left turn.  Or a cookie sheet.” She took a bite of her salad and gave a smile to Indigo.

“Those, too. If any of you need anything, just let me know. Lots of speciality items.” She glared at the girls. “Any adults.”

“I’ll come by this week and see what you have in stock”  she looked at the girls with a smirk, “Did Oriana tell you girls about the time I beat her senseless with a cookie sheet?”  

“That is factually incorrect. I had all my senses.”

Tara cheeks reddened at the memory.

“I seem to recall that maybe you might have done something regretful towards the end…  not sure that was sensical. I mean, it wasn’t punching a moose level of crazy but it was right up there.”  She winked at Tara. “Well, no matter. Point is, girls, anything is a good weapon in a pinch if you’re creative enough.”

“If you need a weapon,” said Cerise confidently, flexing her fingers into fists and expertly glancing at Brigitte out of the side of her eye.

Tara spoke up, “I imagine Christmas will be interesting this year.”

Brigitte glanced at Tara and then down to her mom, “We doing something special for Christmas Eve this year, what with the new girls here?”

“As long as we have cookies, I’m good.”  Gavin said lifting his head up from his plate of lasagna.

“Always about food with you…”  Jack muttered grumpily pushing his food around on his plate.

“We could do a Santa Mission.”  Aurora said brightly then she glanced down the table at Sage and Malcolm realizing that maybe some of the kids didn’t know that Santa wasn’t real.

Billy rolled his way back into the room, stifling a yawn. “Why is everyone still waiting? Did nobody say grace?”

“I wouldn’t let them say grace without the head of the table here.”  She smiled at Billy. “She finally out?”

Billy nodded. “She almost outlasted me too. I didn’t exactly get a lot of sleep myself. Sorry if I’m a bit tired today gals.” He began to settle in to his spot then.

Tara looked down at Brigitte who was staring into her wine glass, which was as of yet untouched.

“Well, why don’t you lead us in grace, Billy then we can dig into all this great food the girls helped me cook.”  Aurora said putting down her utensils.

Billy nodded and began the prayer he always did, but went silent about three words in to let the rest of the family finish it aloud. When they were done he added… “And bless this family, all of them around this table. Everyone here knows that they belong and that they are loved by God and by those in his presence. Amen.”

“Amen!”  Aurora said with a smile.  

Jack glared across at an oblivious Gavin who frantically returned to eating and Tara and Brigitte met eyes down the table. Brigitte arching an eyebrow and Tara eventually averting her eyes.  Brigitte sighed.

“We were just talking about Christmas plans.”  Aurora said to Billy, either ignoring the tensions or oblivious to them.  “Oh be sure to get some of the chocolate pudding, Sage made it. It’s really very good.”

“Thank you.”  The young girl said meekly from her place beside Gavin.

“Oh if it’s chocolate, I’ll be sure to get some.” He looked down the table at his eldest daughter. “Brigitte? You alright? I thought we were having a pretty good day so far, you and the baby… Well, you looked really happy and comfortable together.”

“Victoria is as sweet as the pudding, Papa.  Sweeter. I’m just thinking, that’s all. Long night.  Like you said.” Brigitte gave Billy a smile.

“So like I was saying, maybe a Santa Mission…”  Aurora began.

“What’s a Santa Mission?”  Malcolm asked. The boy rarely spoke, especially not at the table with everyone present.  Generally speaking he liked smaller groups, one on one time. Aurora was happy to hear his voice and her face showed it.

“Well, I’m glad you asked!  Santa Missions were some of my and your father’s favorite things in the whole world.  Every Christmas, my father and mother would take us out a few weeks before things got real crazy and we picked up a lot of toys.  Not for us mind you, but I’ll get to that. Will and I would wrap them all, we’d be so sick of wrapping come Christmas we’d swear we’d never want to do it again… of course, we always did.  And then, on Christmas Eve, we’d visit homes around the city and using some tricks of the trade we’d get access to the houses and leave the toys and food for the families so they had a very happy Christmas morning to wake up to.  Of course, it didn’t start out exactly that way… it sorta evolved into that, but it was a very treasured tradition in my family. And no matter how old we kids got, we always looked forward to it. Everyone in the family, no matter how big or small played some important role - and that’s how it would be here too.  Some of you would be shoppers, everyone would wrap and then… well some of you would do the secret deliveries. Of course, we’ll have to do some special training in the weeks leading up to it.”

Malcolm nodded. “That sounds like fun. Can we do that?”

Billy nodded and shrugged. “Of course we can. Your Aunt is going to organize it as she always does.” He stopped talking then, and instead began to eat. This would certainly be the first year that Billy wasn’t going to be much help in anything but wrapping. He hadn’t thought about that until now, but there it was. Always some little thing that liked to rear its ugly head around this damned…

He sighed and then looked to Tara and Oriana with a smile. “Well, what about you two? It’s nice to see you home again Tara. Oriana, I’m glad you decided to come too, I’m not really sure it would be the same without you here at this point.”

Oriana seemed puzzled about how to respond; after a brief hesitation, she went with “Thank you.”

“How’s the apartment hunt coming along, Tara?”

“Pretty good.  I have a couple of options.  Mostly it’s a matter just deciding what location I want to end up in.  Price, I suppose is a factor too.” She said glancing down the table again at Brigitte who wasn’t looking back at her.

Gavin’s head snapped up and looked at Jack.  He narrowed his eyes at his younger brother.

Billy cocked his head to the side. “Price is a factor? Since when has price been a factor for the Mastrosimones? Don’t tell me you’re on a budget. I won’t stand for it.” He then looked down and smiled. “See?”

Tara smirked, as did Oriana.  “Funny,” said Tara. “… very funny.  But honestly I was thinking of trying to take care of my own bills.  I mean, after I got cornered about a laundry mishap I got the distinct impression that maybe I was seen as being a bit too careless with the money I’m entrusted with.”  She took a bite of her food.

“That wasn’t what I said.”  Aurora remarked. “A quarter of a million dollars for a dress is a ridiculous sum and with that much spent on a gown I would think you would have been more careful with it is all.”

“Well, doing my own laundry is another thing I’ll be doing henceforth so…”  Tara said picking up her drink.

“If you had unpacked your bags from Italy sooner than two weeks after coming home, maybe I wouldn’t have thought it necessary to rummage through your things.  Also I can’t imagine why you kept that thing. There was nothing but scraps of fabric left of it. You should have tossed it.”

“Can we drop this, mom?”  Tara said uncomfortably. Oriana ate her food with a smirk.

Billy coughed. “I just don’t see why, after the amount of money I’ve spent on your siblings, you won’t let me buy you an apartment. As a gift. I mean, it’s your inheritance that you’re spending after all. Your mother and I certainly aren’t taking it with us, right dear?” He picked up his glass of wine and sipped.

“Does Saint Peter even accept American currency?  Because if so… I have it on good authority there is a poker game in Heaven I might want to buy into.”

Gavin grunted.  “Hey.”

“Sorry.”  Jack said pushing his food around.

“Bambino, are you okay?  Aren’t you hungry?” Aurora asked Jack.  

“I’m good mom, just, maybe not too hungry today.”  Jack replied.

Aurora reached over and felt his head with her lips.  “You don’t feel warm.”

“I’m not sick mom.”  He wiped his brow.  

“Did someone hurt you?” asked Indigo. “Because if they did you should tell us. We can hurt them back.” The other three did their creepy simultaneous nod. Malcolm watched them intently.

“NO.”  Jack said a little too loud and a little too quickly.

Aurora narrowed her eyes.  

“I’m fine.”  Jack reasserted.

Izzy shook her head.

“Oriana is training me.”  Brigitte said suddenly. “I’m working on my hand to hand fighting skills.”

Cerise looked at her with something akin to worship.

Aurora nodded.  “Well, that explains how you’re moving today.  Maybe apply some ice after practice next time… then nice heat.” Oriana looked at Brigitte knowingly.  “Heal up before you let her show you what a beat down feels like again.”

Oriana, not sure whether she should profess her innocence, decided to just continue eating.

“Does that mean you are too, Tara?”  Aurora continued as if the previous statements about Oriana beating Brigitte were no more significant than declaring water to be wet.  

“We get in some hand to hand practice here and there.”  She took a bite of lasagna to hide her smirk. If Aurora noticed the innuendo she didn’t say a word of it and didn’t react.  

“Tara took third in a Philadelphia Riverboat Poker Tournament, did she tell you that, Mom?”  Brigitte added.

Tara glanced down the table at her sister, Brigitte gave half a shrug.

“Another poker tournament?”  Aurora arched an eyebrow.

“Yeah.”  Tara said.  “I… I find them enjoyable.  I’m good at it. I make fairly good money at the tables most of the time.  So, after my win in Philly I came back here and made a purchase of some property on the Hudson River.”

Aurora smiled brightly, “Well, we’ll have to go see your purchase sometime soon.”

“Not much to see yet, but ideally … someday.”  Tara said glancing at Oriana. “A small bit of Heaven on earth… in fact, I was hoping I could ask you a favor, Dad?”

When she knew she had his attention, she continued,   “Oriana and I would like to borrow the plane again. I want to return to Naples.  I’d like to visit the man who inspired me to start my own business and get his blessing to proceed on the venture.  I could write him, but I suspect my making the extra effort might yield better results. I know I don’t need his blessing but he’s an ally I might want to have one day.  Powerful, respected, well-connected and rich… very, rich.”

Billy scoffed at the mention of the man’s wealth. “Of course you can borrow the plane, no problem with that. As long as you take protection with you. You are going to Italy after all and that place has generally not been kind to us. Your mother also has to approve your trip, she had veto power.” He smiled to Aurora and then turned back to Tara. “As for your property purchase, if you’d like I could give you the name of a good surveyor and an architect or two. In fact, one of my earliest, most prolific architects is sitting just down there.” He pointed to Brigitte.

“It was a dog house.”  Brigitte said emphatically.  “Right? The first one? I wanted Grandpa Gavin to buy me a puppy for my birthday and I designed that dog house in Las Vegas?  I had to come to work with you for some school thing...”

“Oh I remember that!”  Aurora said. “You were so cute with your little blueprints.  My dad loved that. I knew we’d get that damn dog the second he saw those.  William couldn’t stop nagging me about letting Dad buy it for you and Gavin.  Said that you were a good kid and that you deserved a puppy and that I had to get over myself about my old dog Boots who got hit by that damn delivery truck when I was ten.”  she shook her head. “He, as he often was, was right.”

Billy shook his head. “Not talking about the doghouse. Talking about the orphanage. Sure you didn’t get the slide coming out of the top floor and going all the way into a pool like you wanted.” He spread his hands and then took a bite of food. “You did pave the way for more bathrooms though, a nicer building, bigger yard space, common rooms, less barracks type beds and more small rooms.”

“Oh yeah, I remember you telling me about how many kids were there and how they had to wait for the bathroom. Wow I was like six when we did that?”

“Five.”  Aurora corrected.  “The adoption wasn’t even final at that point.  The paperwork took forever. You have no idea how much your father and I sat around worried that something was going to go wrong in the courts with all that nonsense.  Things are so different now. It’s amazing what a good lawyer and a lot of money can do.”

Billy nodded. “And I’ve modeled every single orphanage after that one. Not a single complaint since.” He beamed at his daughter then, it was clearly something she had dismissed, but he had never forgotten.

“I just liked spending time with you, Papa.  Anytime you wanted me around as a kid. We could have been doing anything.” Brigitte chuckled.  

Gavin stood up suddenly.  Jack was staring down at his plate.  

“Gavin?”  Aurora said questioningly.

“I’m going to … um… take my plate to the sink.  Does anyone need something from the kitchen while I’m up?”  Gavin kept looking back to Jack who never once looked up at him.

Aurora shrugged.  “I’m good, Bambino.”  she lifted her chin and tilted her face.  Gavin leaned down and kissed his mother’s cheek.  Aurora patted his arm as he turned away from her.

“I’m gonna take my plate to the kitchen too.”  Jack said standing up with his plate and cup to follow his older brother into the kitchen missing his mother’s cue for a kiss on the other cheek.  Aurora shrugged as Jack disappeared into the kitchen.

Oriana watched the brothers leave, trying to read the situation and failing due to her lack of background knowledge.

“So, Brigitte, maybe you wanna com-”

The sound of crashing dishes and flesh smacking flesh was unmistakable.  Izzy immediately cried out, “FIGHT!”

The four girls and Oriana reacted as quickly as anyone; Cerise, Azure, and Indigo all sprinted for the kitchen; Oriana yelled ‘Let them handle it!”, but the girls ignored her. Ori managed to grab Cerise and Azure by their waists and try to pin them against the wall, but she wasn’t strong enough to handle all four of them charging at her. She was about to get knocked on her back when Tara threw her weight into Oriana’s back to keep her upright. Brigitte threw herself into the scrum as well, and the three of them managed to corral the four girls against the wall. Cerise had almost broken loose when Oriana whispered something in her ear, freezing her. 

The door to the kitchen suddenly flew open as Jack’s body came out the door more in flight than anything else - as if Gavin had picked him up and chucked him!  Skidding unceremoniously to a stop on the other side in the dining room the boy desperately tried to scramble up to his feet before his massive older brother reappeared in the dining room bellowing, “JACK WHAT THE FU-?!?”  Gavin stopped just short of cussing in front of Aurora who was glaring at the door. His lip split and bleeding.

Oriana looked at Aurora. “Get the fucking cookie sheet!”

“ENOUGH!” Billy roared from his seat as he pushed himself back from the table. “Ladies, sit. Gavin, Jack, kitchen, now.”

Gavin instantly doubled back.  Jack was huffing and puffing as if he meant to leap on Gavin’s back and keep scraping but a second glance at Billy caused him to pull it together and walk back into the kitchen.

Aurora looked at Billy, “It’s not too late to trade them in for girls is it?” She shrugged at Billy, sad his dinner was interrupted. Azure, Indigo, and Sage smiled.

Billy gestured to the fact that every woman in the room was standing. “Doesn’t seem to me like that would have been much better. After all, at least the boys had the good sense to leave the room first.” He glared at the four girls and nodded once toward the table. “You and your mother slaved over that food all day, it had better not go cold.” And with that he made his way into the kitchen.

Aurora sighed waiting for Billy to leave before she spoke to the girls.  “He’s just upset with the situation girls, I’m sure none of you were running in there to pour gas on the fire.  Give him a minute to bark at the boys and he’ll be back to himself. Sit, sit, let’s finish our dinners. No reason for their antics to disrupt a good meal.”

Oriana, Tara, and Brigitte let the four girls off the wall to return to their seats. Brigitte seemed a bit more sore than before. Looking to Oriana, Aurora gave the younger woman a nod, but didn’t say a single word as to what she might have meant by it.  Just a silent thanks.

“This is your fault.”  Jack muttered at Gavin.

“You punched me!  How’s this my fault?”  Gavin gaped at his younger brother.

“You should have fought me like a man, honorably.  You know…”

“Oh god, Jack what the hell are you on about?”  Gavin went silent as his dad came into the room.

“So, you want to explain to me what the fuck that was all about? And don’t bullshit me. This is the first nice dinner we have had in months, so if you try to pull some shit right now I swear to God, Christ, and anyone else watching I will climb up out of this chair and beat you both myself. Do I make myself clear?”

Both boys were silent and nodded, Gavin eventually voicing, “Yes, Sir.”

Billy took a deep breath and nodded. “Now, what is going on with you two?”

Gavin looked at Jack, searching for answers as much as his father, the blood drying on his lip and scabbing.  Jack looked up at his older brother with near hate in his eyes and a fair amount of pain.

“You’ve ruined everything.”  Jack’s voice was venom. “And now you’re pretending like you don’t even know!”

“I don’t, Jack.”

“Bullshit.”  He snapped quiet enough Aurora wouldn’t hear it in the next room, jabbing his finger at his brother, “Oh Gavin!  You’re so strong! You’re so tall! Can you get that book for me? It’s so high up…” Jack made his voice sound effeminate, he was clearly trying to pretend to be someone.  

Gavin narrowed his eyes, still not understanding.

“You stole my girl!”  Jack cried out, the rage in his voice laced with no small bit of genuine heartbreak.

Gavin shook his head, “Jack, I… I swear I have no idea…”

“YOU TOOK HER TO THE MOVIES AND HELD HER HAND IN THE POPCORN!  KAREN REESE TOLD TOMMY MONNAHAN WHO TOLD ME ALL ABOUT IT!”

Billy slammed his hand down on the counter. “HEY!” He waited for his boys to both stop and look at him. “First thing is first, if anyone is going to be yelling, it’s me, not you. You decided to get into a fight in my house. If you want to fight each other, do it like men, in the street or in the yard where you aren’t going to break anything, and are only going to hurt each other.”

“Fine by me!”  Jack snapped.

Billy rolled toward Jack and clapped him once upside his ear. “I don’t give a shit if you’re thirteen or thirty, you ever talk back to me like that again and you’ll get another.”

Jack trembled with tears in his eyes, but nodded at his father’s words.

Billy took another deep breath. “Sit down, both of you. There’s a lot to unpack here and you’re both in trouble, you too Gavin. You’re not innocent in this.”

Gavin’s mouth hung open then he glared at Jack before sitting down.  Jack smirked at Gavin, satisfied his father saw that Gavin held some responsibility here.

Billy nodded when both had sat and then looked to Jack first. “You first. Mirella is not your girl. Not unless she says she is.”

“Mirella!?!”  Gavin sputtered, instantly shaking his head that he was NOT involved with Mirella.

“She was!  Until he came along and stole her.”

Billy growled at Gavin. “Can you quietly sit there for a minute until I can explain what the hell is going on to the both of you?!”

Gavin sighed, clearly trying to calm down.  He nodded.

Billy sighed. “Jack. There is something you have to understand. No woman is your woman, ever, for any reason, until she says she is. And the second she says she’s not, then she’s not anymore. Your mother could walk out of this house right now and tell everyone in the world that she’s not mine anymore and that’s how it would be. It’s my job then, to fight for her and get her back. And no, that doesn’t mean punching Gavin. That means, stop being a flirt toward the new girls who just moved in. Don’t think nobody noticed because that’s what really got you into this mess.” he reached out and patted his son on the back gently. “I know, they are cute and they are running around in next to nothing. I get that. But clearly Mirella thought you were flirting and it hurt her feelings, so she’s trying to hurt yours by going after Gavin. By the way, it’s working if you hadn’t noticed.”

Jack scrubbed away a tear from his eyes.  Gavin kept quiet, watching his father talking to the younger boy.

Billy turned to Gavin then. “And you really screwed the pooch on this one kid.”

“I swear I didn’t do anything wrong, Dad, this is all some sort of misunderstanding.  I’m not dating Mirella.”

Billy nodded. “I know you’re not, or at least you think you’re not. But you did go to the movies by yourselves didn’t you? I’ll bet you bought her popcorn and a soda too.”

“Well, she told me that Aunt Addie and Uncle Charlie couldn’t take her and asked me if I could do so.  I asked Aunt Addie and she said it would be fine so… yeah… I took her. When she realized she forgot her purse well, I had to buy her snacks.  You can’t go to a movie and not have snacks? I mean, I couldn’t eat mine in front of her and just let her sit there while … you know, it wouldn’t have been nice.”

Billy chuckled. “Forgot her purse huh?” He looked to Jack. “Well you picked a smart one, I’ll give you that kiddo.” He smiled and looked to Gavin again. “I took a girl on a picnic once. I never intended for it to be anything. She was just a woman who worked for me and a friend. I never even touched her on accident, not once while we were there. I splashed around with kids in the pond while she watched from the grass. When your mom walked up though, do you think she felt fine with that, or do you think she saw me there with another girl, playing with children and got hurt by that?”

Gavin listened intently and then sighed.  “I think I hear what you’re trying to say.”  He looked to his brother. “I will make clear to Mirella that I’m not open to anything like that with her.  I … have a girlfriend and she’s, well… older than Mirella and not my cousin even a little. No judging or anything but… yeah.  I’m not interested in Mirella, Jack. I promise.”

“Jack knows that deep down, don’t you Jack?”

Jack sighed, “It’s just that … Gavin is so… Gavin.”  He slumped his shoulders. “And she talks about him all the time and her friends are telling my friends that she is going on and on about all the time they spend together.”

Gavin shook his head, “I have only been over there helping out when Aunt Addie has asked.  I think if Aunt Addie knew what Mirella was doing to you she wouldn’t have asked me to come over and spend all that time with Mirella.”

Billy shook his head hard. “Oh no boys, the last person we want involved in any of this is your Aunt Addie.”

Both boys looked to Billy expectantly.

“Listen, Gavin you’re gonna do the right thing. And Jack, Mirella was hurt, so say your sorry and make it up to her. If I were you I would buy her a teddy bear, or some flowers. Start small.”

“Small?  I mean, she ended it - shouldn’t I go big?  Something showy. The sort of thing you’d do to make mom smile if you screwed up?”

“Jack. You’ll never hear me admit this to anyone ever again. But you are a guy. You are going to screw up again. If you go big now, you won’t have anywhere to go next time. Start small, get bigger next time, because I promise there will be a next time.”

Jack nodded slowly.  “Small. Got it.”

Gavin nodded as if agreeing with his Dad, as if he had some experience in this department, which - of course - he didn’t really.

Billy turned to Gavin then. “You might want to apologize to your brother for hurting his feelings too. We both know you didn’t mean to, but sometimes saying it makes a difference you know. Also, don’t make up a girlfriend to ward off Mirella, just tell her you’re not interested, she will be fine.”

Gavin looked taken aback.  “Dad… first off..” He motioned to his lip.  “I thought he and I were even but…” He looked to Jack.  “I am sorry you were hurt. It wasn’t intentional, of course, but I’m sorry.”

Jack nodded.

“Second, I’m not making her up.  I … have been seeing a girl. Her name is Bianca.  It’s not serious yet, but… there is a girl. I’ve been on a few dates with her.  I was actually wanting to talk to you about what Tara’s doing… you know, getting a place of her own?  See, I was thinking, with all the new girls in the house maybe it was time I got a place of my own too?  I mean… Tara isn’t the only one with a personal life.”

Billy nodded and cocked his head to the side. “Real fast, you threw your brother across the room full of girls, and your mother. His pride was hurt far worse than your lip ever will be. Now you’re even.” He turned to Jack. “You should head back into the other room though, it seems like Gavin and I have to have a talk about his future.”

“Yes, Sir.”  Jack stood up and gave Gavin a last sympathetic look and then disappeared back into the dining room.

“I threw him so I wouldn’t hurt him.  Do you know where he hit me first to get me down to his level to hit me in the lip?”  Gavin’s voice was hushed, careful to be respectful, but serious.

Billy nodded. “I’ve got a good idea yes. Next time, bear hug.” He shrugged. “Now, about you moving out. I’m fine with it. If I’m being completely honest I’ve been waiting a while now for you to ask. You’re a grown man and should be out on your own. I’d like to buy you a place if you’ll let me, just like I did for your sister, but you should pick it. You know your mother is going to be the one who is going to need convincing?”

Gavin nodded.  “I wasn’t thinking about going far.  Maybe just closer to the docks so I’m near work.  Mom can walk to visit me with the baby when the weather gets nice.  She won’t have to feel like I moved to Vegas or Philly - I mean I know that was on the table for a while, but with everything that happened I … well, I think I need to be nearby in case something else happens.  Family might need me. I might need you guys.”

Billy nodded. “You know I grew up about two or three blocks north of here. It’s not exactly closer to the docks, but…” he let that thought hang in the air. The idea of his son living in the house he ran from was an odd one.

“I’d like to see the place.  Might be nice to see where you grew up.  Hell, even if it needs some fixing up, I got plenty of experience with that.”

Billy nodded. “Then why don’t we go look at the place sometime this week and you can decide from there? Also gives you a chance to get your mom on board with the idea. Nice and slow. Start small.” He smiled at his eldest son then, both of them fully understanding that was the exact advice given to the only other man left in the house. “Now, about this girlfriend. Why isn’t she here?”

He nodded. “Bianca is with her family today and… I’d like her to be here, to meet you and mom but the truth is I haven’t really been honest with her about all of this.”  He motioned to the room, presumably the house or the family?  

“She’s a waitress in a cafe her father owns, down by the docks.  A lot of us go there for lunches. Oh Dad, she makes the most amazing pies.  These things are slices of heaven. I can’t even tell you how good they are!”  He beamed. “And she’s so damn funny. Dad, I …”

Billy sighed. “Alright Casa nova, calm down. For the pies, why don’t you just bring one home? As for the girl not knowing, ease her into it. Have Brigitte meet you for lunch or something.”

“It’s not that Dad, it’s… well, you see, her family has owned that diner for three generations now.  Small business, down by the docks…” He waited for his dad to start to put it together. “I asked her about her family and their business and eventually she veers into stories about how some guys have come in the past to rough up her dad and grandfather.  Shook them down. Made them pay for protection. Then… well, then she asks about my family and I… I couldn’t speak. I just let her think it was a hard topic for me to talk about and she hasn’t pushed much.”

He shook his head, “Her father and grandfather love me.  I don’t know how I can even let them know who we are with all the crap that has happened to them.  They’re good people, but they got a real bad opinion of wise guys. I just thought maybe, as they got to know me, they might not care so much whose family I came from.  You know, in time.”

Billy nodded. “I get that, not everyone is the nicest in the business. I’d like the chance to make the right impression though. Maybe remind them that it’s not the profession, it’s the person.” he sighed. “That might be a bit heavy-handed though. You’re right.”

“Maybe you come to lunch with me?  Just… meet Bianca and her family. We not tell them what it is the family does exactly.  Just let them get to know the Billy that everyone likes - the nice guy who is my dad.”

Billy smiled. “Yeah. I’m just an old man on disability.” He chuckled then.

“I think you can probably safely go with business owner.  Just pick one.” he laughed. “Oh and, I should probably let you know a few other things about Bianca.  It’s not really important, I don’t think it would change anything for you, but I just feel like you should know that while her family is Italian…”

“Thank God.”

“She’s not exactly … like Oriana.  She’s… very short. Shorter than mom.”  He nodded to himself. “She’s…” Gavin searched for the words.

“Not a crazy assassin who’s going to try and kill us all in our sleep or while we’re baking cookies? Yeah, that’s not a bad thing Gav.”

Gavin shook his head, “No.  Nice Italian girl who likes to cook, enjoys word humor, is kind to animals… but, see, how I met her was some guys weren’t being too nice to her.  In fact, they were saying terrible things to her, trying to scare her… getting rough.” He shook his head.

Billy frowned. “Well fuck those guys. And if it happens while I’m there, I can’t promise that her family won’t find out what kind of business I’m actually in.”

“Right?  See, she doesn’t look like other people.  She’s real smart but people they think she’s simple.  I… I don’t think that. I mean, I didn’t know her at the time and even if she was, it wouldn’t have made what they were doing right.  So I had to stop it. And I did. Which is why her father and grandfather like me so …”

“Hey Gav. Calm down. I get it.” He patted his son on the leg.

“You do?”  He said, tilting his head to the side.

“Nobody in the world is allowed to talk bad about the people I love and get away with it, simple as that.” He nodded. “Now, you recognize that your mother is never going to approve of anyone fully. I mean, you’re her bambino. There’s no breaking that. And no woman is ever going to be good enough. But that being said, I’d like to come to lunch and meet Bianca. Her family too.”

Gavin smiled.  “You’re gonna love her.”

“For now though, we should go back in the dining room. I’m sure you’re starving and I’m also sure your mother thinks I’ve killed you and am hiding your body in the trash.”

He smirked, “Yeah.”  he stood up. “You know, I almost believed you for a second earlier.”  he walked towards the door.

Billy looked at Gavin then and pointedly moved his foot onto the ground. “You should.” he said before putting it back and rolling toward the dining room. “Come on. Dinner is getting cold.”

Gavin’s mouth fell open and he stared blankly at the foot before following his father out into the other room.